Shooting in the vicinity of Trump's golf club

Donald Trump was securely taken to safety by the Secret Service after an agent opened fire on a man with a rifle near the former president's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, local authorities confirmed.

After the incident, the suspect was later detained by local police on I-95 after a witness saw him flee the scene and get into a black Nissan vehicle.

The witness provided local authorities with a photo of the vehicle and the vehicle's license plate. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw reported at a news conference held two hours after the incident.

An AK-47 and a GoPro camera were recovered in the bushes where the suspect was hiding.

"We were able to get a hit on that vehicle on I-95 as it was headed up to Martin County. We got ahold of Martin County Sheriff's Office, alerted them, and they spotted the vehicle and pulled it over and detained the guy," the sheriff reported at the press conference.

Sheriff Bradshaw added:

"After that, we took the victim, or the witness that witnessed the incident, threw him up there, and he identified as the person that he saw running out in the bushes. Now, in the bushes where this guy was is an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks with a hole in the fence that had a ceramic pile in them, and a GoPro, which he was going to take pictures."

Authorities later explained that a Secret Service agent went ahead to the hole where Trump was playing. While inspecting the area, "he was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual, at which time the individual took off."

At the moment, though without full confirmation, authorities believe the armed suspect intended to attack Trump.

In a statement, the FBI confirmed that it is investigating the event as a possible assassination attempt against the former president.

"The FBI has responded to West Palm Beach Florida and is investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump."

The former president's campaign quickly confirmed that Trump was safe.

"President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time," Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.

The former president also made a brief statement to avoid rumors and misinformation about the incident:

"There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me. Unity. Peace. Make America Great Again."

The event came nearly two months after Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

In that shooting, the former president suffered a gunshot wound to the ear, a member of the audience was killed and Crooks was shot by the Secret Service.

Right now, the Secret Service reported that it is coordinating the investigation with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office while the FBI leads the investigation.

Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris reacted quickly to the news: "I have been briefed on reports of gunshots fired near former President Trump and his property in Florida, and I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America."